Monday, June 08, 2009

Prickly pear

I was surprised the first time I saw cactus growing in the wild here in the southeast. Outside of cactus gardens, it's not the kind of plant you tend to find in the suburbs. But it's a native in most eastern states.

This is Opuntia humifusa. The upright tall version is Opuntia stricta. There are three other prickly pears in Alabama: Opuntia austrina, Opuntia pusilla, and Opuntia monacantha. But only humifusa is in Blount county, and it's the only member of the cactus family that's native here.

6 comments:

That is very pretty. I'm always surprised to see cactus growing here too but I often see them. There is a house nearby and they have hugh cactuses growing. I'm always amazed. I would think it would be too wet for them here.

I'm not really a big cactus fan, but those flowers are really pretty. It's funny -- when I see them in people's yards around here, they always strike me as looking out of place. I'll have to work on shifting my cactus perspective.

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About Me

Living in rural north central Alabama. Currently overstocked with pets and poultry. Having lived in several small towns and larger cities, country life is taking some getting used to.
A refugee from the corporate world since 1996, I'm the proprietor of a handmade soap company called Natural Impulse.
The photo is of Jasmine, fearless protector of the homestead from coyotes, bobcats, deer, herons, airplanes, butterflies and fuzzy little bunnies.
You can email me at blog (at) naturalimpulse.com.